EPA Announces Five New High-Priority Chemicals for Risk Evaluation and Risk Management Under TSCA
On Monday, December 18, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice identifying the next five chemicals it will designate as High-Priority Substances, for which it must conduct a risk evaluation and potentially regulate under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). These chemicals are:
- Acetaldehyde
- Acrylonitrile
- Benzenamine
- 4,4’-Methylenebis(2-chloroaniline), or MBOCA
- Vinyl chloride
These chemicals are mostly used in the production or manufacture of plastics. EPA seeks the following information about these chemicals:
- Hazard and exposure potential,
- Persistence and bioaccumulation,
- Potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations,
- Whether there is any storage of the chemical substance near significant sources of drinking water, including the storage facility location and the nearby drinking water sources,
- Conditions of use or significant changes in conditions of use, including information regarding trade names,
- Production volume or significant changes in production volume, and
- Any other information relevant to potential risks.
This is the first step in a multi-year process that may result in significant restrictions on using these chemicals in the United States.
EPA requests information in response to this notice by March 18, 2024.
- Read the Federal Register notice published on govinfo.gov. There are specific instructions to submit information for each chemical. Carefully follow the instructions to protect any confidential business information you may wish to submit.
- Advocacy contact: Send an email to Dave Rostker at david.rostker@sba.gov.